Ghost In The Machine: 1981/82

Police arrest audience with on-stage presence...

"Maybe it's just that Sting is the handsomest man in the world," a woman I know once said while trying to explain Police's enormous popularity. She has a point.

Police's lead singer and bassist has an Police's lead singer and bassist has an open, winning sensuality which seems to hold endless appeal for young women without alienating their boyfriends. He also has a face any smart movie director would walk on water for.

At Police's Erwin Center concert Monday night, it was obvious that those qualities extend to Sting's singing, dancing and attitude as well. "This song," he said before one number, "uh ... I like this song!" The guitar player smirked, and Sting feigned an aghast expression. "Well I do!"'

Moments like that point to why the Police are one of the few arena bands not guilty of brutalizing the audience with macho block- head posturings. Considering the aboriginal sexual stance of the average mega-band, this is extremely gratifying.

The same goes for songs like 'Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic' and 'Bring On the Night', which render the standard "bleach-blonde reggae" criticism meaning- less by virtue of being nearly perfect examples of pan-global pop. The only problems with their show occurred when some of the heavier songs succumbed to that familiar plodding sensation known to some as arena entropy, but even then they were usually able to save the day with a nifty bit of stagecraft.

A good song like 'Bed's Too Big Without You' became a witty, incandescent metaphor for sex when thousands of flashing pinpoints of light were set off during the instrumental break. Even better was the amazingly simple effective trick of bringing up all the house lights at the precise moment when 'Walking On the Moon' shifted into its thrilling chord change.

All things considered, Andy Summers, Stewart Copeland and Sting they also had a talented horn section with them this time comprise one of the very few groups with an approach to playing for massive audiences which is intelligent and un- oppressive. They have made it to the top with most of their own best instincts intact. And that, to put it mildly, is impressive.

Opening act Joe "King" Carrasco is pretty hot stuff himself, as everybody and his dog in Austin know by now. His Erwin Center debut was a triumphant moment for him and the Crowns, a fact he acknowledged by being his usual self on a larger scale.

This meant playing some terrific songs from his as-yet-unreleased new album, racing up and down both sides of the hall while riffing madly on a wireless guitar, and introducing "96 Tears" as "the song of the century." Question Mark and the Mysterian would have been thrilled; I certainly was.

(c) The Austin American Statesman by Chris Walters